Millennials Keep Connected on Ever-More Devices

For digital natives, social media is a sure thing

In terms of sheer connectivity, it’s hard to outdo millennials. The demographic has taken to the always-on, always-connected way of life in dramatic fashion, as evidenced by the November 2012 Scarborough Research report, "OMG! Is Your Medium Reaching Millennials?" which surveyed 210,000 US consumers ages 18 to 29.

These digital natives have taken to the hyper-connected world of social media with enthusiasm. Beyond simply logging on to view their feed, six in 10 respondents had visited a friend’s page or profile during the previous 30 days, while 52% had commented on a friend’s post and 49% had updated a status. Those participation levels easily outpaced email and messaging activities, performed by 48% of respondents.

Millennials have also shown a fair amount of love for the latest technologies. High-definition televisions had the highest rate of ownership among this group at 73%, followed by smartphones at 61%. And while only 17% of millennials owned a tablet, it topped the list of gadgets that they planned to buy in the next year, at 11%.

This demographic’s embrace of technology has not only made them digital natives, but mobile natives as well. A March to April 2012 survey from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project found that those ages 18 to 29 were more likely than any other age group to engage in real-time mobile activities ranging from coordinating social gatherings to reviewing a business or restaurant. With ever-increasing data speeds and higher adoption rates of smartphones, this trend shows no signs of slowing.